I’m going without food for a week to bring control over broadcasting to Wales

Actually, It could be more effective if you try to get the attention of Afsrin Rattansi of 'Going Underground'. He may invite you in for interview on his RT.com program. You could also consider getting in contact with ex-SNP leader Alex Salmon, who has his own show on RT. They will then have to take notice !!

But independence can only be achieved when the majority favour it, and while they are in ignorance of the true nature of Welsh politics, many will settle for winning the Six Nations. Wales needs control of its broadcasting first, so that issues relevant to Wales can be debated, before there can be a groundswell of public opinion against the status quo. So Welsh control of informed broadcasting is an essential first step, and therefore young Elfed's crash diet will not be a futile gesture but an important symbolic one, I feel.

Why not have new Welsh as well as English home-grown broadcasting, as long as it's about Wales and not more bread and circuses? What better way to help the rebirth and growth of the Welsh language? Those million speakers are going to need something grown-up to listen to instead of Strictly Come Baking, or whatever it's called.

Have you ever tried going for a full week without anything but water? It is extremely serious and certainly isn't grandstanding. If you agree with the cause or not, show some respect.

True about the 'inferiority' complex coming to the surface - it's evident everywhere and is the the product of the 'Victor and Vanquished syndrome'. What are BBC Wales, ITV Wales, S4C, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru for? Simple - to be the propaganda puppets of the establishment based on the other side of Clawdd Offa. To promote the English Empire and to hide it's satellite nations out of sight. Ask yourself, how much have you heard today about what has gone on in Scotland, Cymru or Ireland? Or even mainland Europe (Brexit mania exempted). Then ask yourself how much you've heard about England's English speaking nephew a few thousand miles across the Atlantic today? It's not rocket science is it?

I don't excuse expletory bad language. If contributors use it, then it very much dilutes the message that they are trying to convey to the extent that it gives them little credibility.

The question to be addressed is "Is that what the media actually wants?" Where is the evidence?

That's a very important question, Robert. But it seems based on the premise that the majority of Welsh people are mindless cattle. There are enough people in this country who want to know what's going on in this country, and the novelty value alone of an informed channel, in English if necessary, would be enough to capture an audience. The public wants what the public gets, as The Jam said. The Western Mail is part of the problem, by the way.

Thanks to Brian, Graham and Wrexhamian for their responses to my little rant. Brian, I’m afraid I didn’t understand yours. And Graham, I fear yours didn’t enlighten me much; do you advocate that we somehow forcibly take over the airwaves and use them for OUR propaganda, or are you just making a rather airy general observation? Wrexhamian, I don’t think I said anything implying that Welsh people are either mindless or cattle. But I’m very sceptical about how successful even the best-run Welsh-orientated media might be at attracting the attention of the great number of people in Wales whose eyes, ears and general attention and mind-set are turned eastwards. Nobody in his/her right mind would claim that the Western Mail was perfect. But there is plenty of attention to Welsh affairs, and some excellent journalism from the likes of Martin Shipton. And what’s the circulation? Around 20,000? If you really think it’s ‘part of the problem’, compare with DAILY Mail.

Western Mail worthy? I've heard it called a lot of things in my time, and I've certainly read it often enough in the past, but as John Jenkins once described it, it's "the paper that nobody wants, but everyone has to have" I guess he was referring to the Welsh context, and to a time when the Wasting Mule, or Daily Wail or Llais y Sais at least made some effort to present Welsh news. The Sun, the Daily Mail etc are clearly lobotomised, but the Western Mail is pretty much brain dead these days. One model that could be worth considering is that of Norway where the press receives state funding to ensure the free press so essential to a functioning democracy. However, as demonstrated a few years ago over the Y Byd fiasco, our Welsh Assembly is more concerned with financial defecits rather than those of a democratic nature, though I have to admit that I'd be sceptical of state funding for the Western Mail, so dire has it become, only outdone by the Daily Post which makes the South Wales Echo look like a heavyweight.

Oh dear, totally hypnotised by BritNat propaganda I fear. I suppose you also believe that the mystical country called Englandandwales also exists in reality? "There are none as blind as those who do not want to see" Brian. Try a bit of therapy on alternative news media outlets. Perhaps it'll ease the scales from your eyes, by realising that the UK mainstream media is not the reflection of reality that you perceive it to be. There's a phrase for it you know - COLONIAL PROPAGANDA. They feed it to the natives, instead of the natives getting exposed to reality within their own country.

That's reasonable for you to think the balance between Wales and the rest if the UK is fair, but others might not. The fight for the our own dedicated news channels ( S4C) has not been easy, and its funding continues to be so. The fight is for justice. That's another matter.

No, Brian, you're right, of course; there has never been an instance of large numbers of people in any member-country of the UK demanding a new television or radio channel - except one: S4C, Do you remember those campaigns? Yes, of course, everybody does. Nor has there been a publicly-monitored demand for new TV channels elsewhere in the UK; we wake up, and suddenly they're there! There is, however, a demand for Wales to be in charge of broadcasting in Wales. I cite as evidence one individual among many - Elfed Wyn Jones (he of the hunger strike). But most people - and not just in Wales, of course - are not politically engaged over such matters, and never have been (you and I know the reasons for this, so I won't sport with your intelligence by alluding to them). I am racking my brain but cannot think of a single instance when large numbers of people have public stated, in survey or petition, their desire for any other kind of national change in broadcasting - except in Wales, as is the case with control of broadcasting. Think of the benefits, Brian! Not least, an informed Welsh news service that deals with issues directly affecting this country. Who could gainsay the benefits to the democratic polity of our benighted country that this would confer? The colonial apparatus of our little country scrutinised and challenged on a daily basis! A closer bond between North and South! A growth in awareness that this is a country, not a colony! I search in vain for anything in the British media that even makes a pretence of such a service. Join us, Brian boy, join us!

Parch. I’d like to challenge anyone who strongly opposes S4C/Cymraeg etc etc, then if you feel strongly enough – please feel free to equal this young man’s principled stance. I am certain, there wouldn’t be anyone willing to do so. Julian *uck possibly.. Brian, can I just give you an example of how different the standard of journalism between S4C and BBC News Wales. During the referendum in Cataluyna, S4C provided some of the best journalism & current affairs programme of recent times. On S4C news you had live reporting, guest Catalan speakers who’d also learnt Cymraeg, ex pats who’d made Cataluyna their home and were married to natives – children spoke English, Cymraeg, Cataluyna & Spanish (all though of course Cymraeg speakers are insular and backwards). On the current affairs programme, Hacio, we visited a Welsh lady who’s husband’s family had been killed by Franco’s troops and had waited their whole lives for the day to arrive. On the other hand, the reporter visited businesses all over the region that were happy with the status quo and were going to vote No. Now let’s compare this to Jamie Owen’s World News Service. As events were unfolding in Cataluyna, we were treated to a main news headline of a woman’s unfortunate complaint letter to a local Council, which read ‘I turned on my cooker and my knob fell off!’ or something similar of great importance. Why couldn’t BBC Wales News find a Welsh angle to this significant story, and found an English speaking Welsh people with a personal story to events in Cataluyna? Why is it only for the main BBC News to provide English speaking Welsh people with a grown up and intelligent perspective of world events? This perpetuates the problem of English speaking Welsh people having no visibility, no representation – which is surely a complaint of the people ‘left behind’? On the rare occasion a BBC Wales News reporter gets to leave the Country is to cover Sport, shouldn’t we demand more than this? If you’re happy with having Welsh issues represented just 5% of the time on the ‘big news’, then there is no wonder we’re the poorest place this side of Poland.

There is always life by association. It begins from early years. Rhymes, stories, pictures, news, language, friends, family, and those places you visit. It's like pieces of a jigsaw of building blocks that ferment as the years advance. It's the idea of creation. Creation of self. Yet at the very time you build through association of norms that surround you must ensure you 'fit' into what this micro society seeks to protray and reflect. The plummy English tones of the BBC will resonate with me for ever. The dress, speak, styles, TV soaps, entertainment, the list is endless. All pushing the culture of the great British ways of life. But not ours. Not enough anyway. The greatest of these influences on life and thoughts is the sort of media you choose to engage with: Broadcasting, publishing, Internet. (social media). It's like the constant waterfall of Britishness spewed out and touching every part of our consciousness. Our DNA is all but determined from the cradle. Let's associate with London as the centre of our universe. Our true leader. The voice of the culture who shapes and brings daily volume of life stories, but not ours. Our entertainment, yet a clever reinforcing of stereotyping written by whom and for what audience. Even those of Welsh distinction are overwhelmed to behave in the main media pose. When you sit for one moment in the quiet of your mind you begin to realise you are not Welsh after all You cannot over estimste the biggest cause of human conditioning. I think we know. The cause of our Nationhood is diluted and manipulated, by the very thing we tune into every day.